Social networking analysis (SNA) involves mapping and measuring relationships and flows between social entities such as people, groups, organizations, animals, computers, or other information/knowledge processing entities. Each social entity forms a node in a social network. Hence, the nodes in a social network are the people and/or groups, and the links between the nodes show how the various nodes of the social network are connected. In other words, the links between the nodes show how information might be communicated to and from each of the nodes in the social network. The interconnections of the various nodes in the social network may be illustrated by using a social network map.
FIG. 1A depicts a schematic block diagram of a conventional graphical representation of a social network 10. The illustrated social network 10 includes a user node 12 and shows how the user node 12 is connected to several additional nodes. In particular, the user node is connected to multiple first degree nodes 14, second degree nodes 16, and third degree nodes 18. The first degree nodes 14 are connected to the user node 12 by direct relationship paths, as indicated by the arrows originating at the user node 12 and pointing toward the first degree nodes 14. In contrast, the second degree nodes 16 and the third degree nodes 18 are connected to the user node 12 by indirect relationship paths via the first degree nodes 14.
FIG. 1B depicts a schematic block diagram of another conventional graphical representation of a social network 20. The illustrated social network 20 includes a user node 12 and several first degree nodes 14. For clarity, nodes of greater degrees, which are connected to the user node 12 via the first degree nodes 14, are not shown. In both of the social networks 10 and 20 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the connectors between the various nodes show that the corresponding nodes are linked by a social interaction.